Read time: ~8 minutes
Learning to Love the “Tell Me Your Biggest Weakness” Question
“Why do people even ask this question?” Check out this video and/or read the article below for the best way to answer this challenging question.
So tell me your biggest weakness
Wow, does this question ever stress people out in interviews.
Not only that, it’s probably the interview question that generates the most hate.
The crazy part is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Once you know how to answer it, you can turn this question to your advantage and increase your chances of getting the job.
Unfortunately, many people struggle with this question.
What Makes “Tell Me Your Biggest Weakness” A Tough Question?
It’s really not an easy question to answer (until you learn this approach)
Sometimes, people struggle with it because
- They’ve never had any coaching on how to do interviews in the first place
- Like many interview questions, there are multiple levels to answering this question
- Unlike many questions, there are wrong answers to this one.
- They don’t like confronting or admitting weaknesses
- They don’t want to do the work to fix those weaknesses
The good news is that once you nail down the framework, you can use this question to showcase whatever you want about yourself and increase your chances of getting the job.
Why Even Bother Asking About Your Biggest Weakness?
Believe it or not, if you Google “dumb job interview question, weakness,” you’ll see many rants about why this is a dumb question. I even read one that suggested getting up and walking out of the interview if someone asks you that.
I’m mystified by this because whether you like the question or not, there are good reasons someone might ask it.
First, it’s a tricky question requiring introspection and walking a fine line between too little honesty and too much honesty. You can get a read on a candidate’s deftness in handling tricky situations.
Not only that, it also can elicit how self-aware someone is and whether they can grow by identifying and fixing their weaknesses.
Finally, the interviewer might just not be very experienced at interviewing. While some people spend a lot of time thinking of effective interview questions; others might not. This is a pretty well-known question, so they may have just latched on to it.
What Are Some Wrong Answers? ❌
So now let’s talk about some answers to avoid.
You might have heard a teacher at some point say “there are no wrong answers”.
Well, in this case there are DEFINITELY wrong answers.
There are three kinds of answers to avoid
1. Don’t say you don’t have any weaknesses – everyone does. This will make it look like you lack self-awareness or are insecure.
2. Don’t offer deal breakers for the job you’re applying for.
- Saying you’re uncomfortable talking to new people will be a problem if you’re looking for a job in sales
- Suggesting you’re lazy will be a problem for investment banking or consulting, among other careers
- Make sure you really understand the jobs you’re applying for. Not being good with numbers will be tough for many fields, including some you might not expect, like marketing, where data analysis is becoming more and more important
If these are genuine weaknesses, you should be asking yourself if you’re applying for the right jobs. Are you going to succeed in investment banking if you don’t really like hard work? Or is sales right for you if you’re uncomfortable talking to new people?
3. Don’t give canned answers that aren’t really weaknesses
- I’m too nice
- I work too hard
Everybody knows these are nonsense answers, and instead of swatting aside the question, you’ll look like you lack personal awareness.
You may be able to spin them into a good answer, but your interviewer may tune you out after they hear “I’m too nice,” so it makes sense to avoid these.
How Do You Answer The "Biggest Weakness" Question Well?
Now that we’ve talked about what not to say, what should you say?
I recommend applying the H.I.F.I. framework
· Historical – it was a weakness but not anymore
· Identified by you – you are self aware and can recognize things you need to improve
· Fixed – not only are you self aware but you can take action to fix the problems you identify
· Improvement – How are things better now than they were you fixed the problem
This approach hits all the key areas of what you’re looking for in an answer.
· It directly answers the question
· It presents you in a positive light
· It shows that you’re self aware and can identify and address your weaknesses and
· It shows you’re a confident person – confident people aren’t afraid to confront their weaknesses since they know it makes them better
How to Apply the H.I.F.I. Framework to the Biggest Weakness Question
💡Example 1.
Weakness: public speaking – really common weakness that is unlikely to be the most important part of any immediate post MBA job – and regardless you’ve addressed this weakness already.
Answer: I used to be nervous about public speaking. I realized this was going to be a problem for me in my career and maybe even career-limiting. So, I decided I had to find a way to fix it.
What did I do?
1. First, I took every opportunity to speak in front of groups, even if I was uncomfortable. Basically, I put in as many high-quality repetitions as I could.
2. Second, I watched lots of YouTube videos for tips on becoming a better speaker and applied those as I was putting in those reps
3. Third, I joined Toastmasters until I got to a point where I was really comfortable speaking to groups
Now, I’ve become so much more comfortable speaking in front of groups that my boss, who knew I was working on this, remarked how much I’d improved.
*********
Notice how I applied the framework
Historical – I used to be really nervous
Identified by me – realized this was going to be a problem in my career
Fixed – actions I took to fix it – reps, YouTube and Toastmasters
Improvement – boss remarked on my improvement
💡Example 2.
Weakness: Formerly lacking in certain technical skills
Answer: When I first started in my previous job, I didn’t know Excel nearly as well as I needed to, and it’s critical to my role.
What did I do?
· I bought the book The Excel Bible 2022 and skimmed through it so I knew what was possible
· Started a Twitter account and shared in public each new thing as I learned it
· Followed a few Twitter accounts and YouTube accounts that showed how to do things in Excel
· Took a course on Excel for {finance, marketing or whatever your field is}
After doing all this, I’m the person in the office who shows other people how to do things in Excel.
*********
Historical – When I first started in my role
Identified by me – Recognized that I didn’t know it as well as I needed
Fixed – Excel Bible, sharing progress on Twitter, following Twitter and YouTube accounts and took a course
Improvement – I show other people how to use Excel
💡Example 3.
Weakness: Something that’s related to the stage of career or professional maturity
Answer: In the past I wasn’t comfortable saying no when someone asked me for something, which resulted in my either being forced to do a subpar job or take on too much and risk burnout
What did I do?
· Learned to ask where the job fits into the priority list – often people don’t realize that what they’re asking is a lower priority than what I’m currently working on and they get someone else to do it
· Built the confidence to have this conversation – the first time was scary
Now I’m working hard and not burning out, enjoying my job a lot, and my boss and colleagues respect me more
************
Historical – used to be uncomfortable saying no
Identified by me – recognized I was being forced to do a subpar job or risk burnout
Fixed – asked where the priority is, built confidence to do this
Improvement – not burning out, really enjoying my job and more respected
How to implement this?
Like all interview questions, the strategy here is not to script your answer and then memorize it.
Instead, make a bullet point answer or a couple of them, and practice them so they roll off your tongue.
You’ll say them slightly differently each time, but it will sound much more natural that way.
Once you feel like you have a handle on this, I’d recommend recording yourself on video with your smartphone or tablet, answering the question and then critically evaluating the recording. 🤳🏽
Repeat this 4 times and critique each one, and you’ll likely be in good shape to use this in practice interviews.
Recap
What Is The Best Way To Answer "Tell Me Your Biggest Weakness" in a Job Interview
Use the H.I.F.I Framework:
To answer the question “What is your biggest weakness” in a job interview, provide
- A historical anecdote “I used to be …”
- You identified the problem …
- You fixed it by …
- The resulting improvement was …
Use this formula and practice it at least four times on camera and critique it each time.
Hopefully, you found this helpful. As always, connect with me on Twitter or reply to this email, and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.
